Method of stoking locomotives



Feb. 2 7, 1 940.

W. T. HANNA METHOD OF STOKING LOCOMOTIVES original Filed June 18, 1928 3 Sheets-She et 1 William m INVENTOR mpsonHanna Feb. 27,1940. w. 'r. HANNA 2,191,653

METHOD OF STOKING LOCOMOTIVES Original Filed June 18, 1928 3 2 INVENTOR I William Thgypson Hanna Patented Feb. 27,1940

nrnon or STOKING LOCOMOTIVES William Thompson Hanna, Cincinnati, Ohio- Original application June 18, 1928, Serial No. 286,222. Divided and thisfapplication June 11,1936, Serial No. 84,611 i g Y e 8 Claims. (01. 110 -104 {This invention relates to a method of feeding or stoking fuelto a firebox, and'particularly to fireboxes of locomotives, steamboats, etc. This application is a division from my co-pending apl -plication" Serial No. 286,222, filed June 18, 1923,

noWYPatent No. 2,044,001.

The customary stoking operation fora locomotive includes the steps of unloading the coal from a trough in the tender, crushing it, conveying 10 it'forwardly to the proximity of the fuel] entrance ofthe fire box,-and presenting it to distributing means which distributes it over the fire bed in the fire box. .The present invention is concerned more particularly with a method of distributing.

* fuel over the fire bed in the fire box in a manner to-obtain more e'fiicient operation, and with the method of presenting the fuel to distributing means after the fuelhas been raised to the proxn imity of the fuel entrance of the fire box.

"- Inorder to overcome disadvantages that have existed in the firing of a locomotive and to obtain more efficient and complete combustion of fuel, it is, desirable that the fuel be presented to. the fire bed continuously, but in such a mann'erthat respective areas receive fuel in allotments spaced at approximately equal intervals of time,"-

so that the previously delivered portion of fuel to any given area is allowed sufficient time to start'burning before the next allotment arrives. In addition, the various sections of the fire bed should} receive approximately equal amounts of fuel inorder to maintain a level and uniform bed, thereby preventing shortcircuitin'g of the draft through thinner portions of the bed.

:55. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a method. for feeding fuel to a fire bed in such a manner as to increase the efiiciency of combustion and to provide a method by which I the fuel maybe distributedevenly over the entire 40 bed as desired. 1

Another aspect of the invention has to do with 1 the proportioning of the distribution of the coal over the fire bed. ,Short-ci'rcuiting of the draft is especially prevalent through the sides of the 45 fire bed because of. the design and'construction of the customary grate used to support the ashes in the fire box ofa locomotive. Therefore, it is desirable to buildthe bed higher at the sides than at the center, in order to prevent such side 50 drafts. Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide a method for feeding the fuel to a fire bed in such away that enough-fuel is a distributed to the sides of the fire bed to bank the sides to prevent excessive draft thereat. 5 'These, and other apparent objects and adcordance -with this inventionQ-is illustrated "nguree of thedrawings.

vantagesfare obtained by the methods and. the apparatus for carrying out the methods described inthe following specification and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view of a 5 stoker mechanism, adapted to carry out theinvention, taken substantiaily on a longitudinal center line; j Q

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the, same, taken substantially on a line 22 of Figu i" Y X 1 Figure 3 isa horizontalsection of the same, taken substantially on a line 3-3"of Figure 1;,

Figure 4 is aside elevation partially vertical I longitudinal 'sect ionshowing the stoker' mounted on a-locomotive' anda tender;v

of'Fi'gureB e H v The arrangement of the various components of a stoker mechanism for carrying out the method" of feeding fuel hereinafter described, in ace falls into' 'a fuel trough c, mounted beneath the tender," andis movedfforwardly through the trough 8 and'conduit 6 by conveyor 1 and 5,

respectively, through extension 4 which extends in a forwardly and upwardly directiontofuel 'o housing 3. Housing 3 embraces theusualfiring opening 2"in the back head' l of :a' locomotive firebox and contains fuel-manipulating means It and 15'. (Figures 1-3), These fuel-manipulating means condition the fuel, entering the housing from extension dandpree I sent'it over a ledge or spillway 3a to fuel-distribu ting mechanism, generailyindicated atfl8, which distributes the fuel over thefire bed in accord'f ar'ice withthej manner inwhich the fuel is pre 216 1 sented. I I g Conveyor 5 isrotatively supported in condult it with its rearward end operatively connectedto the forward end of conveyor l which, in turngis suitably supported for rotation in trough 8. Con 4'5 veyor 'lcarries a gear it, through whicnit is driven by avshaft ll suitably mounted for rota tion' on the frame of the trough 8. Shaft l l carries a gear (not shown) which engagestne gear It. Shaft H has operative engagement with a steam motor, or other source of motive power,

, it," through suitable connections as, for example, 3 the telescopic shaft l3.eI'he fuel-manipulating I means it and I5 are also'rotatively actuated by e I motor :2 through shafts 6t andsuitable'gearing 5:

Fuel in "the tender 2B I supported therein. M v

naled in the side walls of housing 3.

contained in housing 5|, as shown in Figures 1-4.

Conduit 6 is arranged to have a greater crosssectional area than the outlet of trough 8, and extension 4 is arranged to have an increasing cross-sectional area as it approaches the firing opening (see Figure 3). Likewise, housing 3 has an upwardly increasing cross-sectional area to prevent clogging and its rear wall 311 is inclined forwardly toward the fuel entrance 2 of the fire box in order to force and direct the flow of fuel rising through the housing forwardly toward the fuel-manipulating means l4 and I5. In addition, the housing is so constructed and contoured as to aid in carrying out the method of feeding fuel herein described.

The connections between hopper 8 and conduit 6, and between conduit 6 and extension 4, are of the ball and socket type, with a provision for the sliding of the conduit 6 with respect to the extension 4. This provides a substantially universal jointconnection in the conduit between the fuel supply in the tender 9 and the fire door housing 3,.whereby movement of the tender with respect to the locomotive is accommodated.

Turning now to consideration of the distributing'mechanism l8 which, in the embodiment of the invention herein described, is mounted inside the firing opening of the fire box directly in front of and below ledge 3a. This distributing mechanism comprises two portions, a screening and steam jet projector member l9, which is termed a blast chamber, and a distributor.

plate13 I.

,pivotally supported directly above the distributor plate 3| in the firing, opening on pipes law and I 8b by pipe sections 23 and 24 which are jourrespectively conduct high and low pressure steam to theblast chamber 19 which comprises a plurality of steam jets arranged in two parallel horiz'ontal planes. The upper'portion consists of a cles flowing over the ends of series of fingers 19a arranged in a fan-like for- .mation .with high-pressure steam jets I91) issuing from the extremities thereof. An aperture 22 is arranged substantially along and underneath the bases of the fingers through which low-pressuresteam escapes in a ribbon-like jet across the upper surface of the distributor plate 3!.

Thedistributor plate 3| is of a design which serves to distribute the fuel descending upon it through the blast chamber fingers l9 a over the fire bed in an efiicient manner. In order that the distributor plate may serve to direct the fuel more effectively to cover the back corners of ithe fire bed, it is provided with the channels 3le curving toward the side of the fire box. In addition, its position longitudinally with respect to the fire bed may be varied by means of crank shaft 34, Figure 1, suitably journaled in a bearing on housing 3 and having a handle 34a and an arm 35 keyed therewith, which latter is linked to the distributor plates by means of links 36.

This construction of the blast chamber I9 and distributor plate 3| permits new and highly advantageous results. For example, as the mass of fuel (which consists of a heterogeneous mixture of large'and small particles) flows over the ledge 3;; onto the blast chamber I9, the fingers l9a act to screen the fuel to separate the larger from the smaller particles whereby the larger partipicked up by the high-pressure jets 19b of steam issuing therefrom andare carried to the far parts The blast chamber [9 (Figures 1 and 2') is These pipes the fingers l9a are the fingers I941 onto the surface 3| do not come into contact with the high-pressure jets l9b, but are picked up by the. low-pressure ribbon jet of steam issuing from the slot 22 and are swept over the surface 3|. tively scattered to all parts of the fire bed without being carried out of the stack by the highpressure jets. As the low-pressure jets expand upwardly, and the high-pressure jets expand downwardly, the two meet in a neutralizing zone, which also aids in the desired distribution 'of the finer particles over the fire bed.

In order to accomplish the above described screening operation efiiciently,and to insure the fuel being projected from the distributing mechanism i8 to the zone for which it is intended Thus, they are effec-v when it is'supplied to this mechanism, the'fu'el is placed on the top of the blast chamber 9 whence it descends, due to the gravitational force acting upon it, over the screening membersand into the influence of the high or low-pressure steam jets, in accordance with a particular size of the particles, and thereby is distributed over the fire bed. If the fuel isdropped or forcibly projected toward the blast chamber, the screening is lessefiectual and the resulting distribution may be uncertain and inefiicient.

For the proper operation of the fuel-distribut ing mechanism Hi, the .fuel supplied thereto should be properly conditioned by some fuelconditioning mechanism. It is common practice on many railroads to use in locomotives what through the conduit from the tender hopper to the housing in proximity of the firing opening,

it is subjected to' considerable pressure which acts to compact the mass into a solid body or column. Upon entering the housing, this column normally tends to rise until its free end comes into contact with the wall of the housing extending over the conduit, whereupon the top of the column breaks ofi and falls in a large chunk or in chunks, which are not efficiently handled by the distributing apparatus. To eliminate the possibility of such masses of fuel falling on to the distributor plate 3|, the method of the present invention provides for transforming the fuel rising in the conduit 4 into form relatively thinner than the bulk of the fuel in the conduit. That is, its form is changed as to thickness, or density, consistency, etc, and the fuel reaches the distributing mechanism. 58 in a manner and condition conducive to eificient distribution over the fire.

To carry out thisv method there is provided within the housing 3 fuel-conditioning and regulating means comprising a pair of tapered rotary vanes or worms M and i5 which not only break upand thin the massbut act to spread or otherwise condition the loose fuel before the firing opening so that it may pass freely over the ledge 3a in a manner somewhat similar to a fluid passing in lateral waves over a spillway. The vanes M and iii are suitably journ'alcd in cap plates I6 and I7, forming part of the side walls of the housing, and are preferably so positioned relative to the housing and the firing opening as to cause relatively little resistance to the flow of fuel.

In addition, in the method of the present inthe lower edge of the firing opening, screening by gravity the coarse particles from the fine as they fall and projecting the coarse particles and the fine particles separately over the fire bed.

'7'. The method of coal firing a locomotive fire box through a firing opening thereof, comprising continually moving comminuted coal to said firing opening in the form of an advancing column, successively segregating and removing portions from one side only of said column, manipulating each portion into a relatively extended ribbon-like row of particles, raising each such row of particles to said firing opening in angular relation thereto, and moving said rows of particles into said opening in lateral progression, screening by gravity the coal particles thus presented to separate the fine from thecoarse, and projecting thefine and coarse particles thus separated over the fire bed.

8-. The method of coal firing a locomotive fire box which comprises advancing coal inIa colum-v nar mass in efiective proximity to a firing opening of the fire box, successively removing portions from a side of said columnar mass and manipulating the coal of each portion into extended ribhon-like formation, advancing each 7 successive portion so formed through the firing opening in a forwardly moving stream and simultaneously causing the stream to travel laterally from the side of the firing opening toward the longitudinal center line thereof, and projecting the coal particles of the stream over the fire bed in a shower band extending lengthwise of the fire box and moving unidirectionally thereover from one side of the fire box toward the longitudinal center line thereof, whereby successive intermittent deposits of coal are precipitated progressively upon the various portions of the fire bed. I

WILLIAM THOMPSON HANNA. 

